the_realm_of_wonderfandomcom-20200213-history
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
Karameikos is a deep, dark land blanketed with thick forests. The indigenous people called Traladaran originally settled this area long ago, and their past is shrouded with mystery. There were several disconnected villages, but much of the land remained hostile and unexplored. The Empire of Thyatis conquered these lands roughly 100 years ago, under the concern that another nation could perhaps develop these lands and use it against the Empire. The territory was sold to Duke Stefan Karameikos III about 30 years ago. The territory became the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, named after the ruling family, and is an autonomous vassal territory under direct authority of Duke Stefan. Government and Politics The Grande Duchy of Karameikos is a monarchy ruled by Duke Stefan Karameikos III. Officially, Karameikos is a Duchy within the vast and might Thyatian Empire, but retains complete automany. The Thyatian Empire would only intervine in the affairs of Karameikos if (1) Karameikos is invaded by a foreign nation, (2) at the official unlikely request of Duke Stefan, (3) removal of the Duke by internal forces or unknown forces, i.e. a power vacuum. The Duke can grant land holdings, estates, and baronies to those that qualify and petition to the Duke. Those that own lands or an estate have are entitled as Lord or Lady while those that hold a barony are entitled Baron or Baroness. The People This section covers languages and religions practiced by various races and groups within Karameikos. There might be links to further information. Races Naturally humans are the most populas race devided between the indigenous Traladran Transylvanian, Gypsie and the conquerers the Thyatians Roman, German. The other races within the lands include dwarf, elf, hin (halfling), and gnome. There are abundant humanoid races including goblinoids and gnolls and there are many sylvan races including satyrs, pixies, brownies, sprites. Population: Dwarves: 3,000, Elves: 71,000 (90% Calarii, 10% Vyalia), Gnomes: 12,500, Hin (halfling): 2,000, Humans: 351,000 (70% Traladaran, 10% Thyatian, 20% mixed and other), Overview of the Races These the break down of the various races in Karameikos. Information about the monsterous populations is not common knowledge, and should be treated as out of character. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but rather a summary of the most populas of races. *Dwarves - A dwarf will be either from the prominent Stronghollow clan, a clanless dwarf, or from the homeland Rockhome. *Elves - An elf will come from either the Vyalia or Calarii clan or can from the elven homeland of Alfheim. The PC can also elect to come from one of the minority clans: Asagarii (demon hunters), Dinarii (predators), Linarii (peaceful monks of logic), Selenii (infiltrators) *Gnomes - All gnomes found in Karameikos will most likely from from Highforge. A rare few might come from the flying city of Serraine. *Halfling - A hin will most likely come from their homeland of Five Shires. *Human - A human will be from either the imperial Thyatian rulers or a peasant Traldaran native. Optionally, a human can be from a nomadic folk or Dorine. Languages The commonly spoken language throughout Karameikos is Traladaran, which until recently did not have a written form. The official state language and the language spoken by the ruling class is Thyatian. Thyatian would be equivalent to Common, as this is spoken by several surrounding kingdoms. Each other race has their own language. Many of the sylvan races will speak a form of elven, and the kolbolds, dragons, and other dragonkin speak a form of draconic. The Grand Duchy of Karameikos is lesser developed than other nations within the regions, both in technology and magic. Technological Advancement Before the Thyatian invasion the Traladarans were limited in castle building and siege warfare, and utilized iron works and mail weapons. The Thyatians have upgraded the level of technology to include steel, advanced castle and siege warfare, and an advanced navy using war galleys. The influx of trade helped introduce more advanced weapons including plate mail, crossbow, ship design, agriculture (3 to 1 yield), and from the gnomes: steam works. Steam Works is essentially post-industrial revolution technology using the power of steam. The secrets in creating the intense heat to build the steam is a closely guarded secret. (Psst... it uses meta-para-elemental physics to create the wonderous effects). Magical Development Karameikos is very low in magical development and artificing despite the best efforts of Duke Stefan and the recent School of Magic in Specularum. There are a handful of wizards that practice magic in secrecy, as the conditions for this were ideal before Thyatian invasion. The School of Magic does have an assortment of magic found in the Player's Handbook for spell levels 1 to 3. After that level, they are limited in the magic. Consult with the game master before picking spells of fourth level and greater. Psionics Generally, there is no known existence of pscionics within Karameikos. Both Thyatians and Traladaran are capable of possessing such talents, but the Darine, the gypsy population, are the only ones that distinctly show a talent for such arts. Industries and Trade Industries: logging, mining (gold and silver), agriculture, fur trapping Category:Known World Kingdoms